Train-controlled highway-signal.



' R. D. PETERS. TRAINv CUNTRQLLED HIGHWY SIGNL.

E. D. PETERS. TRAIN CONTROLLED HIGHWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED AUS.,--9G9. l

Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

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To all whom 'it 'UNITED STACrEs PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT 4n.V lumens, Aanxieux', INDIANA.

,Traun-communi) HIGHWAY-SIGNAL.

l fspecicatioii of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

Application led August G. 1909. Serial No. 53,570.

L and automobiliste traveling along the highparts wa): whether or Anotthe way is clear for travel over the railway track.

- A further object Aof the invention is to Vprovide a simpleconstruction of day and night semaphore signal which will be risible fora maximum distance and which .will indicate-the'iiumber of railwacrossings at the particular point. so that the passenger will be warned.to proceed with proper caution. 1With these and other objects in view,the invention consists of the features' ofcoustruction, combination andarrangement of hereinafter full'i" described and A claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings. in whicliz- Figure 1 is adiagrammatic View showing the signal and circuit in which it isincluded.

' Fig. i? is a vertical longitudinal section translul'.

versely of the signal embodying the inven tion. Fie'. S'is a sectiontaken on line Zl-l 0irin. e?

Reterriiigto thc drawings, A indicates a railway track and B anintersecting road or highway at the protected crossing point.

Arranged at a suitable point at the side of thc highway B and at adesired distance from the crossing is a tubular post or standard lwhicli'lias mounted on its upper end a lamp box i. withvside openings 3and a front opening -l which-latter faces the high# way. In said boxareinclosed a white light. 5 and one or more i'ed lights (Lilie latterdepending in number upon the number of railways crossing the highway` ashereinafter explained.

The lamp." are arranged in a circuit 7 including a suitable source ofenergy 8 and spaced contacts 9 and 10. pivoted switch 11 n'oriuallxengages the contact f) to close the circuit through the whit(` or safetysig; nal lamp 5'. in which po ilion ii is held by a contaclile spring1i'. Said switch is adapt` .face

ed to be swung, however, out. of engagement with the contact 9 to cutout the lamp o and into engagement with the contanti() to close thecircuit through t-helainp or lamps 6 when the semaphore arm swings todanger position.

Mounted on top of t-hebox 2 and comi niunicating therewith through themediumY of an opening 413 is a casing 14 inclosing the movable member orcore `15 of an electric motor. said core being ixed upon a rotaryshaft.- 16 disposed centralljY of the casing and journaled in suitablebearings inthe. side walls thereof.- Fixed upon .one end of the shaft,which projects beyond thc'casing, is a semaphore arm or blade 17Weighted at. its` normally lower end, asat 18, whereby' the semaphorewill normally stand in vertical. y

or safety position, as will also vthe heads 19 and 9.0 of the core l5,it being apparent that, inasmuch as the core 'and semaphore are' bothfixed upon the shaft, they will more in unison'with the latter.

Fixed at. a suitable point within the casing and disposed in ahorizontal`-plane normally perpendicular to the longitudinal'axis of thesemaphore is the stationary member or pole piece 2l of the motor, theContact of said pole piece being concaved and. the outer face of thecoactinghead 20 convex o conform to the curvature thereof. The .shaft 16includes in its organization a. section Q3 composed of ber or othersuitable insulating material and havihg a central llore in whichisentered a metalcontact portion or pin 2l projected beyond the-outerend of the section 2l and journaled in a metal bearing member 25consti-A tuting a contact insulated troni the adia- Referring:particnlarlr to Fig. i wherein is diagrammatically illustrated 'thecircuitsfor the system. Q8' and 29 designate sections.

ot the traclriucluded in the saine block and insulated from each other.as at 3f), it being..r understood that the trad: section included in anyone block extending beyoni.l opposite sides of the highway or protectedpoint is dividcd into a central section 29 and end sections '.'Sin-ulatcd therefrom, thu du- --plicatinir the apparatus at each -cud ofthe t track.

ie circuit includes conductors 31 and 32 leading to the respectiverailsof the track sections 9.9 and having a source of energy, as a vbattery33. rIfhe conductor 31 extends to one terminal of the field "coil 34,the.- othery terminal -of' which is connected through the plug with thepin 24 to lwhich is connectedV one terminal of the ar- 1 0 mature coil36, the other terminal of which is connected with the core 15, as at37'.

The core 15, as previously described, is in metallic circuit with thecasing 14, to 'which the conductor 32 is connected, as at 38. By thisarrangement a circuit v'will be completed through the connection of therails of the' van' track section 29 by the wheels' of a car to energizethe field and cause it to attract the head 2O of the Acore or pole piece15, whereby the semaphore arm will be swung to a horizontal or dangerposition against the resistance of the weight- 18, which, upon thebreaking of the circuit, will return the semaphore to normal or safetyposition. On shaft 16 is mounted a contact arm 39 which is adapted uponthe rotation of the shaft in adjusting the signal 1'( from safety vto`danger position to 'engage and throw the 'switch llout of engagementwith the contact 9 and into engage1nent with the. contact 10,. thuscutting 'the whiteliglit 5 out.

of circuit and throwing the red light 6' into 'circuit. A Then thesignal 17y is thrown in the reverse direction back from danger positionto safety position, the arm 3 9 releases the switch 11, which'isretracted into normal 'engagement with the contact 9 by -means of thespring 12.

In practice,the conductors 31 and 32 exrend upward through the hollowpost vl,

limp box 2 andopening 3 into the casing i-t. The signal mechanism- 1sarranged at om; side .of the' highway at a suitable dis- "tawe from thecrossing line A, and in such ,medion that, when the semaphore arm orsignal 17 is thrown to dangerl position, itwill extend at a properelevation over the highway. In addition to employing one or efo more redlamps 6to indicate the number of f of a train ruiming upon the tracksection 29, 'and connecting the railsthereof, and that o .the motor.

upon the closing of'saidcircuitthe field and -corc wilt .t6 swing thesemaphore 1'( to 'danger position, in which position it will be.maintained until the train 'passes off said block section 29, which mayextend any desired distancebeyond opposite sides ofthe highway. Upon thepassage of the train ol' the track section ,29 the circuit will bebroken and the semaphore 17 restored to normal safety position by theVweight 10. The mode of operation of the signal lamps has beenpreviously described,

so 'that it will be apparent that `when the. semaphore is in safetyposition, the white or safety light. will glow, while when Said ing ofthe approach of a train and at the lines or tracks at the crossingpointV By means of my improved highway signal a pedestrian, driver ofY avehicle or auto" mobilist will be warned of the approach of a train at asuitable distance from the crossi'ng by-a1 visual signal which may bereadily seen and interpreted, so that measures vmay be taken to insurefreedom from accidents. In many sections, a road or highway is semaphoreis shifted to danger position7 the `red lamp or lamps will glow, givingwarn- 8o same time indicating the number of crossing crossed by steamand interurban'electrio. l

vrailway lines ruiming in parallel relation',v

and accidents are caused by a collision with a train of one line aftertracks `of another linehare been crossed throughignorance of the factthat more than one line passesover the highway at the crossing point.Hereto' fore, so' far as I am aware, no signal mechanisni has 'been4provided to indicate thel apipreach of a train at a crossing and thenumber of railroad lines'passing over the crossing. My inventionovercomes this objection and insures greater freedom from accidents, asit simultaneously givesboth warnings;-

It. will be understood, of course, that the conductors 31 will connectin practice with vinsulating sections of all crossinor lines,-

where there are more than one, in or er that' the signal may b eoperated 'by a car or train traveling on either or any of the cross`4ing lines.y

1. A .signaling apparatus comprising a.A

`semaphore, a normally opencircuit, a spring-retracted switch fonopening and closing said circuit, a, secondnorinally open circuit, amotor therein including a, movable core for. operating said semaphore, asignal lamp in' the first-named circuit, and a projection carried bythe-coreto'engage and close said switch upon the-energization of 2. A.signaling apparatus embodying a,`

normally open circuit, a semaphore, a motor in said circuit including arotary core for operating said semaphore, a second normally a signallamp2 a open circuit contaiii;

pivotedfspring tetra switch for opening and closing said lamp circuit.,and a projec' 130 i 10 irsnamcd circuit, a pivonly mounted Y .Lion uponthe core adapted to engage and ing beyond said pivo'r', aprojcctioncarried close said switch upon the cnergiznt-ion of by the coi-c tongage. Said :um .and close 15 the motor. l l said switch upon thecncrgization of the.

3. Ai signaling apparatus comprising a motor, :1nd n spring forrcracting the switch f' semaphore, a normally open circuit, said tu opencircuit, upon the rciwsc of the arm circuit being provided with spacedcontacts, by said projection',

: xsccond nomiaily open circuit, u motor In icstimonv wheeof I. :iiix mysignature 20 ftherein including' a, iovbie core for operai'.- inpresenrrc'of two witnesses.

mg sil-id semaphore, :L signgll arranged in the ROBERT PETERS switchmovable between the contacs of said ifitiicsscs: clrciiit to open andclose the same, said JOHN W. KELLOGG, switch being provided 'with an armextend- THOMAS FISHER.

